Antigone and Romeo and Juliet Essay - 2396 Words

Compare/Contrast Antigone and Romeo and Juliet There are many similarities and differences between Antigone by Sophocles and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The adults in both of the books have the difficult job of controlling the actions of the younger characters. Their decisions have a crucial effect on the outcome of the books, for the younger characters that they guide are the main figures in their stories. Antigone’s King Creon and Romeo and Juliet’s Prince Escalus and Lord Capulet share but also have unique strengths, weaknesses, leadership qualities, and crisis-managing techniques. A specific strength of Creon, the major adult character in Antigone, is his ability to make his opinions known to the entire kingdom. One†¦show more content†¦Lord Capulet also had very strong opinions in Romeo and Juliet, which he clearly stated to his family. Since he was the head of the Capulet house, his orders were expected to be followed. Capulet expected his daughter, Juliet, to obey the rules set in place. He made sure that his child would be married to the County Paris by saying, â€Å"She shall be married to this noble earl (III,iv,21)† Capulet was certain that his wish would be followed by his daughter. Another strength exhibited by Creon was that although the realization came too late in the book, he understood his judgments were wrong in the end. The king decided to release Antigone after talking to his prophet, Teiresias. As he was visiting the cell in which Antigone was imprisoned, he saw that both Antigone and his son, Haimon, had committed suicide. Upon seeing them dead and after learning that his wife had also died, Creon realized, â€Å"I have been rash and foolish./I have killed my son and my wife. (238)† This showed that Creon had realized that their deaths were because of his edict and his lack of understanding. Prince Escalus also realized at the end of Romeo and Juliet that the children’s deaths were partially his fault. By banishing Romeo and keeping the lovers apart, the Prince could eliminated Romeo’s plans to talk to the Friar. Consequently Romeo’s plans to reunite with Juliet at the end of the book were foiled, and the lovers didShow MoreRelatedTragic Characters from Antigone529 Words   |  2 PagesTragic Characters from Antigone The story of Antigone begins with the death of Oedipus. His sons Polyneices and Eteocles battled against each other for control of the city Thebes, which resulted in the death of both of them. Creon, brother of Iocasta and uncle of Oedipus, becomes the king. He declared an honorable burial for Eteocles, who fought for Thebes, and no burial for Polyneices since he fought against Thebes. 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